by Mary Davis
The sneaky old woman. She could have easily waited at the front door and opened it for Troy.
Olivia stared at Mother for support.
“Don’t look to me,” she said.
Troy’s knock sounded.
Mother smiled. “Don’t keep him waiting.”
They were both plotting against her. Olivia expelled a heavy breath to let them know she was onto them and wasn’t happy. She headed out of the kitchen but paused by the hanging mirror to check her hair before opening the door.
Troy stood on the porch, looking as dapper as he had that morning. He didn’t appear as though he’d worked a full day.
Unlike herself, who felt wilted. “Come in.”
He doffed his cap and entered. “You look lovely.”
She felt anything but. “Thank you.”
“I waited for you after work to give you a ride.”
That had been kind of him.
She hadn’t considered he would be waiting for her. Her only thought was to get home and freshen up before he arrived. “I was released early. I’m sorry you troubled yourself.”
“No trouble. I’d do just about anything for you.” He flashed his dimpled smile.
And her heart reacted. She led the way to the dining table that sat on the far side of the parlor.
Gran put the bowl of peas on the table. Mother wheeled in with a large bowl of mashed potatoes on her lap.
Troy rushed over. “Let me get that.” He put the bowl on the table.
“Thank you.” Mother touched his arm. “Would you mind retrieving the platter of chicken from the kitchen?”
“Not at all.” He stepped through the doorway.
“Olivia,” Mother said, “would you fetch the gravy?”
She obeyed.
Troy picked up the platter. “Looks like you cooked all my favorites again.”
“It was Gran and Mother.” She wished she could take credit for the meal. “I was at work all day.”
Once everyone was seated, Gran said grace. She made a point of thanking God for Troy’s presence before asking the blessing for the food. Gran wasn’t even trying to be subtle.
Halfway through the meal, Mother broached the subject Olivia knew she would. “Troy, Olivia tells me you have been generous and paid Mr. Ingers our rent.”
Troy set down his drumstick and took his time wiping his mouth with his napkin as though the comment made him uneasy. “Yes, ma’am.”
“That was very kind of you. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Troy’s face relaxed into a slight smile. “I was happy to do it.”
After a moment of silence, Mother continued. “But I must agree with my daughter. You should not have paid our debts without asking first.”
Olivia jerked her head in Mother’s direction. What? She was agreeing with her?
His face tensed again. “To be honest, I thought of coming to you, but I felt compelled to take care of it and tell you afterward. I didn’t want to give any of you the opportunity to turn me down.”
“I see your point.” Mother took a small bite of potatoes and swallowed. “But I’m afraid you have given far more than we can accept.”
Thank you. Olivia was glad to see Mother understood.
Troy stopped in midreach for his glass and made eye contact with Mother. “As I told Liv, I won’t let you repay me. What’s done is done.” He picked up the glass and took a swallow of water.
“I see.” Mother remained calm and kept her voice tranquil, almost hypnotic. “But I cannot accept so generous a gift from a man who is not a member of the family.”
An odd feeling pressed in the pit of Olivia’s stomach. What was Mother up to?
Troy paused only a moment before answering. “And I cannot let the three of you be turned out on the streets with nowhere to go when I have the means to prevent that. I promised Mr. Bradshaw that I would take care of Liv.” He picked up his fork.
“You also promised my husband that you would marry Olivia.”
“Mother!”
Mother held up her hand to Olivia. “Hush now.”
Troy set his fork aside. “Are you suggesting…?”
“That you marry Olivia? Yes. That is the only way I can accept your generosity. You would be part of the family. Any other way would be inappropriate.”
“Mother, you can’t do that!”
Mother gave her a stern look. “I can. I will. And I have.” She turned back to Troy. “Since you long ago agreed to marry her, what do you say?”
“No,” Olivia said. “He says no.” She didn’t want to be forced into this.
Mother’s voice turned harsh. “Olivia, be still.”
Olivia glared at Troy. He was actually considering the matter. But he wouldn’t look at her. He kept his gaze locked with Mother’s. The two stared at each other. Who would back down first?
“May I have a few days to consider the matter?” Troy asked.
“I wish I could. But we cannot afford the luxury. There are many preparations to make. I’ll need an answer by tomorrow night.” Mother spooned peas into her mouth as though they had been talking about the weather and not Olivia’s future.
Olivia wanted to protest but knew Mother would send her out of the room. She looked to Gran, who shook her head, indicating that she wouldn’t help. So Olivia willed Troy to turn Mother down. Olivia was a helpless mouse, and Mother the cat offering her up as a sacrifice.
Troy straightened. “The rent is already paid. There is no need for you to move out when you have no place to go.”
Olivia smiled at Troy having called Mother’s bluff.
Mother’s mouth curved up. “I have relatives in Chicago. They haven’t communicated with me since I married Mr. Bradshaw, but now that he is gone, they will likely take me back. Take us all in.”
And she had called his.
After a moment, Troy pushed back from the table and stood. “I will give you my answer tomorrow night. Thank you for supper.”
“You haven’t finished your meal,” Mother said.
“We have cherry pie.” Gran pointed toward the kitchen.
Troy’s mouth pulled up slightly but not enough to fully engage his dimples. “I have more pressing matters to attend to. Thank you and good evening.”
Olivia shot to her feet and walked him to the door. “You aren’t seriously considering this, are you?”
“We’ve talked of marriage before.” He put on his cap and strode out the door.
She couldn’t believe it, and followed him, stopping on the porch. “Are you actually considering this?”
He swung around slowly. “It wouldn’t be right not to. There is a lot at stake. For everyone.”
She clenched her hands into fists. “You are going to decide this is what you want regardless of my feelings.”
“I’m going to analyze the situation from every side and decide what’s best for all concerned.” He kept his voice irritatingly level. “Not just for me. And not just for you. I’m going to set everyone’s emotions aside. Including mine. And make a determination rationally.”
“Rationally?” She jammed her fists onto her hips. “So I’m an irrational female?”
He huffed out a breath. “I don’t know whether your gender has anything to do with the matter. But you aren’t being rational at the moment. I will not let my emotions or yours be a determining factor in my ultimate decision.”
“Why do you get to make this decision that affects me, as well?”
“Because your mother put this decision in my hands.” He tipped his hat and strode away.
“Please, Troy, don’t do this,” she said under her breath.
He didn’t look back but climbed into Nick’s trap and drove off.
Olivia returned to the table. Before she could speak, Mother held up her hand.
“Not one word from you.”
Even if Olivia wanted to say something, she didn’t know what.
“Do you think he’ll wait for you forever?”
> She knew Mother didn’t expect an answer.
Did she want Troy to say yes or no to Mother’s demand? Confusion spiraled around inside her. How could Mother do this to her?
“Apparently,” Gran said, “her pride is worth more than the man she loves.”
The truth of Gran’s words struck her. Was it her pride? Or was she protecting her still-wounded heart?
* * *
Troy returned the trap to the livery, saddled the horse he kept there and rode out to Nick’s place. He wanted to go back to Liv, but he couldn’t let her influence his decision. This responsibility was his to bear.
When he reined in his mount, he saw another horse tied to the hitching rail. He dismounted, looped his horse’s reins around the rail and knocked on the door.
Nick answered and invited him in. “Tonight’s my night for company. Coffee?”
“Sure.”
George sat at Nick’s table with a cup of coffee in his hand and his feet up. “Howdy.”
Good. He could get advice from both Nick and George. He sat across from George.
Nick set a mug in front of Troy and sat at the end of the table. “You look a bit…a bit like…”
“He looks like he’s come face-to-face with an angry grizzly bear.” George took a swig of his coffee.
“Yup. That’s it,” Nick said. “Did you have another fight with Olivia?”
Troy nodded and took a drink of the strong swill Nick claimed was coffee. “After church yesterday.”
“Violet again?”
Troy shook his head. “She found out I paid their rent.”
George shook his head, too. “That girl should be grateful. But that still don’t account for you looking ill.”
Nick nodded. “So what is it?”
“This time was different. Liv was different. Like she didn’t care anymore. I didn’t know how I was going to get her to forgive me.”
“Boring.” George stood and refilled his cup. “This is the same sad song you’ve been playing for a long time.”
Not quite. This one had an unexpected verse. “Liv was waiting for me before the bank opened this morning. She apologized and invited me to supper.”
“She apologized?” Nick’s eyes widened. “Without you asking her to? Did you go?”
“I knew her mother and grandmother put her up to it. Both the apology and the invitation.” But it showed progress. He wasn’t about to miss a chance to mend things between him and Liv. “I went.”
“Did something happen at supper?” George sat and swung his feet back up onto the table.
Troy snatched up his cup to keep the coffee from sloshing over. “You could say that. Mrs. Bradshaw said she can’t accept my paying their rent because I’m not a family member. She said the only way she can agree to my assistance is if I marry Olivia, because then I’ll be part of the family.”
George choked on his coffee and clomped his feet to the floor. “Mrs. Bradshaw?”
Nick stared at Troy.
Troy nodded and went on. “If I don’t marry Liv, they will all move to Chicago to live with some relatives there.” Though he wasn’t sure if there really were relatives or if that was a pretense.
Nick continued to stare mutely.
“Say something.”
Nick shrugged. “I don’t understand.”
What? Was he daft? “It’s simple. If I don’t marry Liv, they’ll move. To Chicago!”
“That part I understand.”
“Then what? Was I wrong to pay their rent?”
George glanced at Nick and shrugged. “He’s hopeless.”
Nick tapped his skull. “Maybe he has a concussion or something.”
“Maybe Olivia beaned him with a rolling pin.”
Troy shook his head. These two dunderheads were no help. “I didn’t hit my head. I want to know what to do. I have until tomorrow evening to give Mrs. Bradshaw my answer.”
George opened his mouth to speak.
But Nick stopped him with a wave of his hand and shifted in his chair to more directly face Troy. “So your question is whether or not you should marry Olivia?”
Good. Maybe now he would get some straight advice. Troy nodded.
“The same Olivia you’ve wanted to marry for four years or more? The girl you’ve been in love with forever? The lady whose finger fits the ring in your pocket?”
Troy put his hand over the bulge in his vest.
Nick continued. “So your question is, given this perfect opportunity to marry Olivia Bradshaw, should you marry the lady you love?”
Troy nodded.
“Nope. You should move to South America and be miserable in some native village and possibly catch some terrible disease and waste away, lonely and in pain.”
George nodded his agreement. “Yup. That’s what you should do.”
These two were of no use. “My mistake. I thought one or both of you could be the least bit helpful.”
“We don’t understand your dilemma. You want to marry Olivia, and here you have the perfect opportunity.” Nick pointed to the floor in front of Troy’s boots. “Laid right at your feet. Only a fool would turn her down.”
“But would it be wrong to marry her this way? She was not happy with her mother’s edict.”
Nick leaned back in his chair. “Haven’t you been praying—haven’t we aaall been praying—for the circumstances to be right so that you could marry her? This sounds like an answer to all our prayers.”
“Amen.” George raised his cup. “I think it would be wrong to let her move to Chicago. Could you live with that?”
Troy didn’t like the idea of her moving so far away. He would have to move to Chicago, too, then. He’d already followed her across the island from Roche Harbor to Friday Harbor. A big city couldn’t compare with the lush green of the San Juan Islands. “What if she hates me for it?”
George waved a dismissive hand toward him. “She’ll get over it once you are happily married.”
Happily? He wasn’t so sure.
Nick scooted his chair, scraping the legs against the floor, and leaned forward on the table. “Look. You want to marry Olivia. And she wants to marry you even if she won’t admit it. So marry her. You have her mother’s blessing. You even have her father’s blessing.”
“But is it the right thing to do?”
“Does that really matter?” George asked.
“A better question is,” Nick said, “is it the wrong thing to do?”
“Nope.” George shook his head. “Not wrong at all.”
Nick glanced at George and nodded. “He’s right. I’m sure Olivia will see it that way, too.”
Troy narrowed his eyes. Liv would not see it that way.
“All right.” Nick shrugged. “So maybe not at first, but she’ll come around.”
But did he want to start his marriage with her that way?
“Despite all her protests to the contrary—” Nick slapped his hand on the table “—she does love you.”
Troy thought so too, but still…
The pastor’s words from yesterday came back to him. Trust that what has been put into motion by your actions is right.
He’d paid their rent, and this was the result.
Chapter 11
Olivia’s stomach had twisted inside her all day, nearly making her sick. She’d left work early again, wanting to remove as much fish smell as possible. Not that the odor would change Troy’s answer. And what answer did she want him to give? She didn’t want him to say yes—or no. She didn’t want to be forced into marriage, nor did she want to move from her beloved San Juan Island. Especially to a big city like Chicago.
When Troy’s knock came on the door, she jumped and sucked in a breath.
Gran smiled. “Go open the door for your fiancé.”
Olivia thinned her lips. “We don’t know that.” What if Troy didn’t want to marry her? She went and opened the door but couldn’t read his expression.
He doffed his cap. His “Hello, Liv” wasn�
�t in his usual teasing tone.
Her stomach tightened. “Mother’s waiting for you.”
When he entered the parlor, Mother sat in her wheelchair with her hands folded in her lap. “Welcome, Troy. Have a seat.”
“Thank you. I’ll stand.”
Olivia remained standing, as well.
Troy twisted his cap in his hands. “Mrs. Bradshaw, is there anything I can say to talk you out of your decision?”
Mother drew in a slow breath before answering. “No.”
He was silent a moment. He shook out his cap and then twisted it again. “Then I accept your terms.”
Mrs. Bradshaw smiled.
“What?” Olivia still wasn’t sure what she had wanted him to say. But she didn’t want her entire future decided in this moment. Did she?
Troy dug in his pocket, lowered to one knee, and held out a ring with a blue stone. “Liv, will you marry me?”
He was asking? And he’d obviously come prepared. Had he purchased the ring today?
She looked from Troy to Mother. “What if I say no?”
“Then you have chosen Chicago for us all. It’s up to you.”
Olivia wanted to say no, though she knew she had little choice. But she couldn’t bring herself to say yes. So she held out her left hand.
Troy took it and slipped the ring on her finger. A perfect fit. “It matches your eyes.”
Tears stung. Happy or sad? She couldn’t tell.
Troy stood, still holding her hand, which he wrapped around his arm. He spoke to Mother. “I thought maybe a spring wedding, or perhaps June.”
Olivia stared at his profile, surprised he would give her nearly a year.
“I’m afraid that’s unacceptable.”
Olivia jerked toward Mother. “What?”
“Either the two of you are married by the end of the month or we move out.”
Why was Mother being so persistent? Why wouldn’t Mother give her time, as well? There was only a week left in July.
Troy’s jaw worked back and forth. He took a deep breath. “If that’s the way it must be, then very well. I’ll talk to Pastor Kearns and see how soon he’s available.”
“No need. He’s coming to supper on Thursday. He can perform the ceremony then.”
That was only two days away. Mother had obviously planned for Troy to say yes. What will I wear?